Key Stage 4 (15-16)

Key Stage 4 (15-16)

At KS4, there has been a gradually burgeoning number of types of educational visits – foreign language school exchanges, cultural visits all over Europe and further afield, sports competitions, youth conferences, winter sports and adventurous activities in more extreme environments. The Duke of Edinburgh Award becomes available at 14 years old and continues to be offered for those up to 24 years of age, and pupils of many ages start work on specialist awards in areas such as mountaineering, sailing and river sports. This increase in venue variety has led to a proliferation of specialist companies catering for these activities.

The aims of history trips tend to be more focused in KS4, with study trips to the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation and the 1944 Normandy Landings often proving popular along with the 1815 Waterloo battlefield. Venues of this type are often catered for by specialist travel companies to ensure participants get the best experience available.

A lot of schools have a tradition of school trips with their choirs, orchestras and musical/theatre students. There are specialist companies that can help any school wishing to explore this possibility, and many venues have tailored activities for groups that can help improve performers’ confidence and motivation.

British schools have been the forerunners in Europe for undertaking challenging outdoor activities both at home and abroad (you can visit here for good list of activities and gateway sites) but there is a notable increase of interest at KS4 in science-based trips – most notably the Science and National History museums in London, the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, the National Railway Museum in York, Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre in Macclesfield, Techniquest in Cardiff, and the Bristol Science Centre, all of which have reported an increase in visitors in recent years.

Suitable Venues

We are an indoor centre which provides a wide range of activities specifically suited to families - we have two swimming pools (one with flume ride and features), a large sports hall for ball games and racquet sports, and a soft play area called Jungle Junction.

Grassy slopes, the lake, historic buildings, old trees and hedges recall Abbey Fields’ past, while the new play area contributes to the modern side with a fully fenced in zone for the little ones to run wild on the equipment. 

Adjacent there is also a 25-metre heated indoor pool and outdoor pool in the summer.

Swimming pool featuring a wave machine, giant flume ride, parent and toddler sessions and lane swimming.

Big park with historical features, plus playground and fitness trail, Abington Park Museum and also features a specific garden for the blind.

Abington Park sits on the site of a medieval village, with some buildings surviving over seven centuries.

Great standard swimming pool but the Tiger Pool comes complete with Octopus slide and interactive water features, waterfalls, squirty fish, water dams and tipping bucket, making it suitable for the whole family.

A tree-lined riverside park for families and sport

Offers several adventure play areas with a wide range of equipment, summer paddling pool and loads of sports space including 10 all weather tennis courts, bowls and cricket, plus the half mile circuit.

Victoria Park was opened to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1899 and still fulfils a vital role in the community's recreation and leisure.

Indoor Lagoon themed swimming pool with pirate ship play feature for under 8s, 3 giant water slide, wave machine, watercannon and hydroslide.

Under its distinctive dome, the Oasis leisure pool recreates a tropical environment for swimming and water play suited to the whole family.

Cusworth Hall has been described as the jewel in Doncaster’s crown. The beautiful grade 1 listed building is set in acres of historic parkland with lakes, plantations and pleasure ground with dramatic views across the town.

The Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile is a church in Central London named after the Holy Family's exile in Egypt. 

With the timeline wall, habitat and church trails, adventure play areas and wide open country side, if you've got kids that like to run and run this one is for you!

The area was originally a gravel works, but has now been transformed into an attractive parkland setting covering 200 acres which is welcoming to visitors and encourages peace and relaxation.

One of the finest surviving medieval halls which contains the legendary Round Table.

Round Table

The Round Table has been famous for centuries for its links with the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Queen Eleanor's Garden

A re-creation of an enclosed medieval garden.

Schools

Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester is home to the Lancashire County Cricket Club Museum.

Lancashire cricket history dates back to the Manchester Cricket Club, set up in the early 19th century. The county side was established in 1864.

20 acres of peaceful parkland located in the heart of Potters Bar

The story of Morven Park begins as early as the 14th century. The medieval town of Potters Bar - on the edge of Hertfordshire - was the site of a toll along the Great North Road. The remains of this original settlement; the toll house and the old Great North Road are buried beneath Morven’s grounds.

This cathedral has been described by architectural historian Mark Girouard as the finest 18th Century Ecclesiastical building in Ireland. It was built in the Neo-Classical Georgian style which was de rigueur. Roberts was fond of this style, reminiscent of Ancient Greece and its elegance was in contrast to the ornate Gothic interiors of most of the churches in this time.

This 400-year-old castle in the former mill town of Menstrie at the foot of the Ochil Hills is part of the Clackmannanshire Tower Trail.

The ground floor houses a fascinating slice of Scottish-Canadian history in a museum dedicated to the founding of Nova Scotia by Sir William Alexander, who was born here in 1577.

A grand country house near Glasgow city centre, Pollok House is Scotland's answer to Downton Abbey and gives a real taste of upstairs/downstairs life in the 1930s.

Children can learn through activity what it was like to live in the House and be a servant in Victorian times. Cost £2 per head (or £1 per child if your school has an educational membership of the Trust).

Set in the peaceful Wiltshire countryside beside a lake, Old Wardour Castle, near Tisbury was once one of the most daring and innovative homes in Britain. It was built in the 14th century as a lightly fortified luxury residence for comfortable living and lavish entertainment. Today the castle ruin provides a relaxed, romantic day out for couples, families and budding historians alike.

Ever wanted to see behind the scenes at the home of Stoke City Football Club? Well now you can!

Tours of the Britannia Stadium are available throughout the week and give supporters full access to rooms and suites that most will have never seen before.

Stratford's premier cinema.

Roman Legionary Fortress and British Tribal City

VIROCONIVM CORNOVIORVM

Step back to the early 1900s and enjoy a grand day out, Edwardian-style! Play our hickory lawn game and a spot of croquet, try your hand at billiards, outwit your chums in fun parlour games and more.

Tucked away behind stone walls in the charming village of Inveresk, this delightful hillside garden offers an oasis of calm and a year-round feast for the senses.

School visits are arranged through the ranger service.

A wilderness of tranquility set against Brunel's famous suspension bridge

Explore the beautiful and diverse broadleaf woodland on the plateau above the famous Avon Gorge, boasting superb views across the city to downland beyond. Leigh Woods has been an intrinsic part of Bristolian life for centuries.

Beauty and genius in the Surrey Hills

An atmospheric house set within Leith Hill with panoramic views across the Surrey countryside, Leith Hill Place was the childhood home of one of England's greatest composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams, who gave it to the National Trust in 1944. 

As well as concerts, exhibitions and sporting events the O2 plays host to bowling, you can watch a film, find out how to make a TV programme at the Sky Studios and you can even climb on our famous domed roof to catch the fabulous view across London.

 

Pages

Login/Sign Up

Latest News

Schoolboy Falls From 60ft Cliff on School Trip

A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.